On October 1, U.S. District Court Judge Morrison England issued a 24-page opinion, explaining why he had orally enjoined California’s new tax returns-ballot bill on September 19. The judge says the law violates the Constitution in multiple ways: it adds a qualification; it violates voting rights; it violates equal protection; and it is preempted by a federal law that already requires federal employees (including President Trump) to fill out certain financial disclosure forms. It violates equal protection because it doesn’t apply to independent or write-in candidates.
There are five cases combined, but the case listed first in the opinion is the one that was filed first in the eastern district. Jerry Griffin, the first-named plaintiff in that particular case, is a registered Republican voter. Therefore, almost by a random process, this case will probably go down in the history books as Griffin v Padilla.
The opinion says that the law’s proponents have exaggerated when they have said that all presidential candidates starting in the 1970’s revealed their tax returns. Among the presidential candidates listed in the opinion who didn’t release them is Ralph Nader. Also the opinion points out that President Gerald Ford never released his tax returns, although he did release a summary of his tax returns.